The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has launched the South East Venture Capital Programme (SEVCP), committing $500,000 in direct startup investments for its first cohort in what could become one of Nigeria’s most ambitious regional innovation funding initiatives.
- The South East Development Commission (SEDC) has launched the South East Venture Capital Programme (SEVCP), committing $500,000 in direct startup...
- Startups selected for the programme will receive SAFE investments totalling $450,000, with accelerator participants getting $20,000 each and incubation participants...
- The selected startups emerged from a competitive process that attracted hundreds of applications from founders building solutions across fintech, healthtech,...
- The initial $500,000 first-cohort deployment is expected to serve as the foundation for the larger funding initiative.
Keep reading for the full breakdown on Accelerator Programme — everything you need to know is covered below.
Startups selected for the programme will receive SAFE investments totalling $450,000, with accelerator participants getting $20,000 each and incubation participants receiving $5,000 each, while the remaining $50,000 will support programme operations.
30 Startups Selected Across Southeast States
The South East Pitch Competition serves as the primary entry point into the fund’s investment pipeline, with 30 startups selected across the five Southeast states, including 20 placed in the Accelerator Track and 10 in the Incubation Track.
The selected startups emerged from a competitive process that attracted hundreds of applications from founders building solutions across fintech, healthtech, agritech, logistics, edtech, and digital commerce.
Investments will be milestone-based and structured to balance founder flexibility with investor protection. The Pitch Competition Finals is scheduled for May 13, 2026, followed by an Investment Ceremony on May 14, 2026.
SEDC Targets $50 Million Blended Finance Fund
The venture capital programme is structured as a blended finance vehicle designed to mobilise up to $50 million in public, institutional, development finance, diaspora, and private capital. The initial $500,000 first-cohort deployment is expected to serve as the foundation for the larger funding initiative.
Stanley Ohajuruka, Executive Director of Finance at SEDC and Chairman of the SEVCP Committee, described the programme as a “direct institutional response” to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at deepening access to capital and attracting sustainable investments.
“This is not just another intervention,” Ohajuruka said. “It is a funded, coordinated and time-bound effort to build a system that channels capital efficiently into innovation, technology and high-growth sectors across the South East.”
Programme Designed to Attract Long-Term Investment
Ohajuruka noted that one of the biggest challenges facing startups in the region has been the lack of credible structures connecting promising businesses with early-stage funding and investor confidence.
The SEVCP was designed as an integrated platform comprising five interlinked workstreams: fund operationalisation, a pitch competition, an incubation and acceleration programme, a financing partnerships strategy, and a network of regional implementing partners.
The fund will be managed through the South East Investment Company to ensure transparency and alignment with global investment standards.
With 50 startups already shortlisted for the grand finale, the SEDC venture capital programme is rapidly moving from announcement to implementation.